After approving NBC buyout, FCC Commish becomes Comcast lobbyist

Meredith Attwell Baker is leaving the FCC, but she won't be going far. Months …

Meredith Attwell Baker, one of the two Republican Commissioners at the Federal Communications Commission, plans to step down—and right into a top lobbying job at Comcast-NBC.

The news, reported this afternoon by the Wall Street Journal, The Hill, and Politico, comes after the hugely controversial merger of Comcast and NBC earlier this year. At the time, Baker objected to FCC attempts to impose conditions on the deal and argued that the "complex and significant transaction" could "bring exciting benefits to consumers that outweigh potential harms."

Four months after approving the massive transaction, Attwell Baker will take a top DC lobbying job for the new Comcast-NBC entity, according to reports.

The response of groups like Free Press was expected in its anger, but not without merit. "No wonder the public is so nauseated by business as usual in Washington—where the complete capture of government by industry barely raises any eyebrows," said Free Press' Craig Aaron. "The continuously revolving door at the FCC continues to erode any prospects for good public policy. We hope—but won't hold our breath—that her replacement will be someone who is not just greasing the way for their next industry job."

Attwell Baker this afternoon released a statement once the news broke, explaining that she would leave on June 3 and that she was "privileged to have had the opportunity to serve the country at a time of critical transformation in the telecommunications industry. The continued deployment of our broadband infrastructures will meaningfully impact the lives of all Americans. I am happy to have played a small part in this success."

Update: Comcast has issued an official announcement. Attwell Baker will report to Kyle McSlarrow, who formerly ran the top cable lobbying group NCTA. McSlarrow said, “Commissioner Baker is one of the nation’s leading authorities on communications policy and we’re thrilled she’s agreed to head the government relations operations for NBCUniversal. Meredith’s executive branch and business experience along with her exceptional relationships in Washington bring Comcast and NBCUniversal the perfect combination of skills.”

she should be fined and (maybe) arrested. This is ridiculous. Three months after you approve a merger for NBC/Comcast you start working for them? wtf. A new commission should be set up as an oversight over the agencies making important decisions, any actions that are pro/con corporation should be tracked and job histories should be followed. Next time anyone does this they should be blacklisted from government jobs and fined.

she should be fined and (maybe) arrested. This is ridiculous. Three months after you approve a merger for NBC/Comcast you start working for them? wtf. A new commission should be set up as an oversight over the agencies making important decisions, any actions that are pro/con corporation should be tracked and job histories should be followed. Next time anyone does this they should be blacklisted from government jobs and fined.

oh gosh, if you guys were on the equivalent ars DoD news sites reading about procurement personnel and other officials going to the private sector for companies they awarded contracts to you would flat out revolt. this isn't the first time, promise it won't be the last.

oh gosh, if you guys were on the equivalent ars DoD news sites reading about procurement personnel and other officials going to the private sector for companies they awarded contracts to you would flat out revolt. this isn't the first time, promise it won't be the last.

This type of bribe is hard to stop. I remember over in Europa when Gerhard Schröder got a job in gazprom after being a strong supporter of a certain pipeline they were having built and i'm sure there plenty of other cases all over the world.

How long must the American public tolerate the corruption in our government? How long until we have protests in the streets? How long until people decide to fight this corruption with violence? We have been at the mercy of giant corporations for a few decades now, and thanks to Regan and both Bush's, AND the recent rulings of our Supreme Court, we are unlikely to see any significant change to this. I find it outrageous that behavior like this is rewarded, and it seems unlikely that Obama or anyone else can reverse these trends. They better fix things soon, because, if I remember my history correctly, corruption of the government was a major reason for the fall of Rome. Our "Rome" is burning, someone PLEASE put out the fires!

she should be fined and (maybe) arrested. This is ridiculous. Three months after you approve a merger for NBC/Comcast you start working for them? wtf. A new commission should be set up as an oversight over the agencies making important decisions, any actions that are pro/con corporation should be tracked and job histories should be followed. Next time anyone does this they should be blacklisted from government jobs and fined.

yeah but who watches the watchers?

The media should be properly informing the public. Which makes it all the more ironic that, rather than investigate thoroughly, Craig Aaron simply offers a rhetorical statement that insinuates she was bought off.

Does the deal stink? Yes. It smells a lot like bribery, but until there's a money trail all we have is circumstantial evidence. If only we had some media outlets with ties that could dig deeper into issues such as these...

This should be enough to start an investigation or inquiry into whether any corrupt activities have ensued. It should also be enough to conduct another review of whether the deal should actually be approved.

@glutto I believe that they used to call it "treason", back when there was some semblance of order in politics. Now it's just business as usual. Great for businesses. Terrible for honest, hard-working types.

Color me unsurprised. I wonder what color that should be... Some shade of vomit-green?

I believe it's Hooker Red...like the lipstick she has on.

Didn't the Obama Administration have some no-lobbying rule in place? Or does that only apply to white house staffers?

Please don't trip over yourself to blame Obama for this. The FCC consists of five Commissioners appointed by the President. Only three members may be of the same party as the President. The remaining two are actually chosen by the opposing party's Congressional leadership and are then nominated by the President. So, you can probably actually thank some combination of Boehner, Cantor, McConnell, and Kyl for her nomination.

It's also nice to know that the "decency windows" for blatant corruption has become as short as four months.